Friday, April 28, 2006

In previous postings I've rambled on about the search for the Holy Grail of Custom Actions. I do believe that I've found it. Buried in the "what's new" for IS12 (Beta) is this little blurb:

`InstallScript design enhancements`

Ok, I know, you might be saying 'Yuck, InstallScript' or 'Yuck, Script!' But give me a second here to explain. I think you'll like it enough to pass it along to other developers who have lost faith in InstallShield.

The 2 biggest problems with InstallScript have been:

1) The need to bootstrap a scripting runtime. setup.exe != pure .msi2) The ISScript engine had so many bugs in it that it spawned a support website of its own.

I am pleased to report that both of these problems are HISTORY! InstallScript CustomActions now compile to Type 1 Custom Actions. These means the only real difference between a C++ custom action created in VS6.0 and an InstallScript Custom Action is how much time and effort to took to write it.

Imagine all of the glory of InstallScript.... a Domain Specific C-like scripting language ( I'm not sure why they call it script anymore, it doesn't really have a scripting engine! ) that gives you an integrated IDE, Compiler, Linker, Debugger, a host of functions, simplistic datatypes, and the ability to easily invoke Native Win32API, COM and Managed Code all in one package with easy access to the MSIHANDLE.

A couple versions back InstallScript added the CoCreateDotNet() function. It basically works like this: Your write a class in VB.NET/C# and declarate it with [assembly: ComVisible(true) ]. After building the assembly you simply drop this assembly in your SUPPORTDIR view ( No COM Registration Required! ) And call it from our InstallScript:

How easy could that be? No ActiveScript to blow 1720 error messages at you. No C++ to write, no CLR to invoke, no configuration of the system such as COM registration or putting assemblies in the GAC needed to call your managed code.

Now that's what I call Hard Core Setup Engineering.

Congratulations InstallShield. I only hope that Setup Developers will give InstallScript a second chance.